I am privileged to belong to a tennis club with landscaped grounds. After taking a break for a swim earlier this week, I sat on the terrace having lunch by the lake with fountains, waterfowl and dragon fly. A Canada goose climbed out of water to look for titbits. Large carp were swimming in the water. However, while I was waiting for my meal what did I do? Did I take in this magnificent scenery and relax? No, after a quick glance at the lake I picked up my phone and started browsing my work and personal emails, WhatsApp messages and even Amazon deliveries. I caught myself just in time and putting my mobile down focused on the here and now and just enjoyed the view. As you sit by the pool or on the beach on your summer holidays, I commend you to ditch your smartphone and allow yourself to enjoy the moment. Some years ago, a colleague’s wife locked his Blackberry (remember those forerunners of iPhones and Samsung Galaxies) in the glove compartment of their car at the airport car park on their outward journey. Wise move.
In 2024 I wrote about the importance of Concentrating on the Present Moment at work. The increasing and almost obsessive use of electronic communication devices challenges this capability. It can be frankly detrimental to our professional work to ignore our colleagues and immediate environment and keep our nose glued to a mobile screen. When attending a crucial in person kick off meeting for a complex transaction, it really pays to be focused. This is when the ground rules for the transaction are laid down and is a great opportunity to get to know and understand the other side and their motivations. It used to be the case pre social media and our “always on” working and personal world that there were far fewer distractions. If someone was reading the paper or on the phone it was very obvious and generally frowned upon. At the start everyone greeted each other by shaking hands and making small talk that broke the ice and set the tone. Now as you sit down you often notice the other participants are so intent on their smartphones or whatever device(s) they are using, that they hardly look up and barely acknowledge your or anybody else’s existence. This is hardly an auspicious start to the multitude of interactions inherent in any complex IT contract negotiation.
Perhaps we have now gone beyond merely using devices for work (and our social lives) in a controlled and sensible manner to a form of addiction. See this blog Social Media And Device Addiction – The Hidden Cost For Employers and some related content Social Media And Device Addiction – Is It Time To Switch Off? and Social Media And Device Addiction – Tips To Manage Device Overload And Boost Productivity which propose that “Smartphones are a powerful tool. But in the workplace, they can be a source of distraction and reduced productivity.” It observes that “According to a study by Whistle Out, the average person will spend 76,500 hours on their smartphone over their lifetime, that’s 8.74 years of your life spent staring at a screen.” It is hard to put your phone down because “Every ping or buzz can trigger the release of cortisol (a hormone linked to stress) as your brain flags it as something that needs immediate attention. Similarly, it also releases dopamine, creating a sense of anticipation and reward, leading to compulsive checking.” Potential solutions include:
To gain some perspective from a different profession (and generation) I discussed this topic with my son who is a senior university lecturer. We agreed on three important things.
1 It is a Leadership Issue
This is not just about the behaviour of individual participants in a business meeting or lecture. The organiser can and should set the tone and indeed rules for the session and regulate the use of electronic devices, seeking agreement to limit the use of mobile phones to something related to the session.
2 Online Devices Can be a Valuable Resource
Mobile devices are of course by no means all bad and disruptive. Having online side communication during meetings can be very useful. For example, your side can discuss progress using Teams or a WhatsApp group in real time and say agree when to have a break to resolve a sticky issue.
3 Use Technology to Manage Technology.
Gamers who have been subject to these online challenges for several decades have an invisible mode where they can see but not play if they want a rest. We can do this for meetings as well – using technology as a control tool - setting a thief to catch a thief as it were. Although there are limits associated with privacy and possible intrusion into our personal lives.
Here with assistance from Claude AI are suggestions to be used where relevant and sometimes in combination to manage the use of mobile devices in a professional working context – though some may also help in our personal lives.
Software Tools
Forest a productivity and time-management app designed to help users beat smartphone addiction and stay focused. You plant a virtual seed, set a timer, and watch it grow into a tree while you work; if you leave the app, your tree withers.
Flipd a digital productivity timer and habit tracker designed to help users minimize screen time, focus on tasks, and study.
One sec a digital wellbeing tool designed to reduce screen time and mindlessly opening addictive apps. It works by forcing a brief mindful pause—such as a deep breathing exercise—every time you launch targeted apps like Instagram or TikTok.
Physical/hardware solutions
Network-level controls
Meeting-tool features
This last point highlights the challenges in a work context. How and to what extent should professional practices seek to manage the use (or overuse) of electronic devices at work? Many have the same mobile for business and personal use. I tried having two phones, but it is a real hassle. But this is not just about private versus office use. It is about effective focus on the task or meeting in hand. I facilitated an in person commercial contract training session where attendees kept using their laptops to work on their day job. This is disrespectful and negates the point of attending. Some management of device usage at work seems worthy of consideration.
As the author and speaker Simon Sinek observed “When we show up for a meeting, or we sit down for dinner with our families, and we put the phone on the table, it sends a psychological message to everyone sitting there that you are not the most important thing to me right now.”
In 2024 I wrote about the importance of Concentrating on the Present Moment at work. The increasing and almost obsessive use of electronic communication devices challenges this capability. It can be frankly detrimental to our professional work to ignore our colleagues and immediate environment and keep our nose glued to a mobile screen. When attending a crucial in person kick off meeting for a complex transaction, it really pays to be focused. This is when the ground rules for the transaction are laid down and is a great opportunity to get to know and understand the other side and their motivations. It used to be the case pre social media and our “always on” working and personal world that there were far fewer distractions. If someone was reading the paper or on the phone it was very obvious and generally frowned upon. At the start everyone greeted each other by shaking hands and making small talk that broke the ice and set the tone. Now as you sit down you often notice the other participants are so intent on their smartphones or whatever device(s) they are using, that they hardly look up and barely acknowledge your or anybody else’s existence. This is hardly an auspicious start to the multitude of interactions inherent in any complex IT contract negotiation.
Perhaps we have now gone beyond merely using devices for work (and our social lives) in a controlled and sensible manner to a form of addiction. See this blog Social Media And Device Addiction – The Hidden Cost For Employers and some related content Social Media And Device Addiction – Is It Time To Switch Off? and Social Media And Device Addiction – Tips To Manage Device Overload And Boost Productivity which propose that “Smartphones are a powerful tool. But in the workplace, they can be a source of distraction and reduced productivity.” It observes that “According to a study by Whistle Out, the average person will spend 76,500 hours on their smartphone over their lifetime, that’s 8.74 years of your life spent staring at a screen.” It is hard to put your phone down because “Every ping or buzz can trigger the release of cortisol (a hormone linked to stress) as your brain flags it as something that needs immediate attention. Similarly, it also releases dopamine, creating a sense of anticipation and reward, leading to compulsive checking.” Potential solutions include:
- Promote awareness
- Encourage breaks away from screens – set phone free times
- Managers leading by example and modelling healthy device habits.
- Turn off non-essential notifications
- Cap daily use of apps (some apps can do this).
To gain some perspective from a different profession (and generation) I discussed this topic with my son who is a senior university lecturer. We agreed on three important things.
1 It is a Leadership Issue
This is not just about the behaviour of individual participants in a business meeting or lecture. The organiser can and should set the tone and indeed rules for the session and regulate the use of electronic devices, seeking agreement to limit the use of mobile phones to something related to the session.
2 Online Devices Can be a Valuable Resource
Mobile devices are of course by no means all bad and disruptive. Having online side communication during meetings can be very useful. For example, your side can discuss progress using Teams or a WhatsApp group in real time and say agree when to have a break to resolve a sticky issue.
3 Use Technology to Manage Technology.
Gamers who have been subject to these online challenges for several decades have an invisible mode where they can see but not play if they want a rest. We can do this for meetings as well – using technology as a control tool - setting a thief to catch a thief as it were. Although there are limits associated with privacy and possible intrusion into our personal lives.
Here with assistance from Claude AI are suggestions to be used where relevant and sometimes in combination to manage the use of mobile devices in a professional working context – though some may also help in our personal lives.
Software Tools
- Meeting-mode apps such as
Forest a productivity and time-management app designed to help users beat smartphone addiction and stay focused. You plant a virtual seed, set a timer, and watch it grow into a tree while you work; if you leave the app, your tree withers.
Flipd a digital productivity timer and habit tracker designed to help users minimize screen time, focus on tasks, and study.
One sec a digital wellbeing tool designed to reduce screen time and mindlessly opening addictive apps. It works by forcing a brief mindful pause—such as a deep breathing exercise—every time you launch targeted apps like Instagram or TikTok.
- Focus time features in Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook which help protect work by blocking schedule slots, silencing notifications, and declining meetings - built-in tools to manage uninterrupted work periods.
- Screen Time/Digital Wellbeing - a built-in tool on Android devices that tracks screen time, app usage with limits set to trigger automatically during work hours.
Physical/hardware solutions
- Signal-blocking pouches (Yondr Pouch) that lock phones for the meeting’s duration — common in schools, increasingly used in corporate settings. This is a secure, lockable virtual container used to keep mobile phones off-limits. Users keep physical possession of their locked device, and the pouch can only be unlocked using a special magnetic base at exit stations.
- A designated charging station or “phone basket” outside the room.
- RF-shielded meeting rooms (rare, expensive, usually reserved for high-security contexts).
Network-level controls
- IT functions can restrict certain apps/sites on the guest or meeting-room Wi-Fi during booked slots.
- MDM (mobile device management) policies that push temporary app restrictions to company-issued phones during calendar-flagged meetings.
Meeting-tool features
- “Focus mode” in Zoom, a host-controlled feature that lets the meeting host and co-hosts view all participant videos and shared screens while preventing participants from seeing or being distracted by one another. There has however been a privacy backlash to the use of such controls.
This last point highlights the challenges in a work context. How and to what extent should professional practices seek to manage the use (or overuse) of electronic devices at work? Many have the same mobile for business and personal use. I tried having two phones, but it is a real hassle. But this is not just about private versus office use. It is about effective focus on the task or meeting in hand. I facilitated an in person commercial contract training session where attendees kept using their laptops to work on their day job. This is disrespectful and negates the point of attending. Some management of device usage at work seems worthy of consideration.
As the author and speaker Simon Sinek observed “When we show up for a meeting, or we sit down for dinner with our families, and we put the phone on the table, it sends a psychological message to everyone sitting there that you are not the most important thing to me right now.”
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